CASTEN ENDORSED AS A CHAMPION OF PAID FAMILY LEAVE

(Downers Grove, IL) Tuesday, October 16, 2018 – Today PL+US Action Paid Family Leave announced their endorsement of Sean Casten, 6th Congressional District Candidate. PL+US Action endorses candidates up and down the ballot from all political parties and every corner of the country who are committed to bold and comprehensive paid family leave.

“The ability to take paid family leave after the birth or adoption of a child or to care for a sick family member shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for only the lucky few,” said Sean Casten, 6th District Candidate for Congress. “But today, putting family first comes at too high a price for most Americans: people can’t afford to go without pay while caring for their family. Currently only 14% of American workers are eligible for paid leave. This is bad for families, bad for workers, and bad for employers.”

While most American workers are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows up to 12 weeks of leave per year to care for family members, that leave is unpaid. Only 14 percent of workers have paid leave through their employers. In the U.S. 1 in 4 mothers are forced to leave their babies less than two weeks after giving birth. 70 percent of people caring for their parents are more likely to fall into poverty due to their dual roles. And with 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the demand for family care is only increasing.

In 2018, paid family leave policy experienced some of the most movement since the passage of the FMLA, including an historic paid leave Senate hearing, numerous paid leave policies introduced from both sides of the aisle, and more cities, states, and top U.S. employers passing paid family leave policies.